Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This
by Sixty Teacups
Summary: "It's just not fair. You're not real and yet you make me fall in love with you, who gave you the right to do that?"
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: This is meant to be a one shot and the reader kind of makes their own conclusion, but I might make a second part? Idk yet :p)

Saga Masamune shut his bedroom door behind him loudly, but apparently not loud enough to disturb the argument between his parents that was going on downstairs.

 _Honestly,_ if they were going to be like this when they were home then he would rather them not be at home at all. At least then the house was quiet and even gave the illusion of being peaceful.

He let out a sigh, sitting on his bed and ignoring the insistent meowing that was coming from somewhere near his feet. He set his book bag aside and felt Sorata start to paw at his leg, clearly wanting attention and not giving up any time soon. The smallest smile jerked at the corner of Masamune's lips as he reached down to pick up the kitten.

"Miss me that much, huh? At least someone did." He mumbled, gently scratching her under her chin. He was rewarded with soft purrs, Sorata leaning into his touch. Saga laid down on his back, Sorata making herself comfortable on his chest as per usual as the teenager fought the urge to sleep. He had spent a few hours at the library reading and doing homework after school, but even after the time spent there it still seemed too early to sleep.

It was _extremely_ tempting though, for reasons other than being blissfully unconscious. Although, that _was_ certainly a plus.

It was probably crazy-scratch that, it was _definitely_ crazy and Masamune considered for a moment that maybe he should talk to somebody about this. However, even if he brought up the subject to his parents he doubted he'd get even a second to explain why this was becoming unhealthy. They'd dismiss it or put it off and ask to talk about it later and then never talk about it or flat out ignore him. Additionally, Masamune wasn't positive he wanted help. Which convinced him he was even crazier.

Since Masamune was fifteen he had been having these dreams.

At first he dismissed it. He had always had weird or vivid dreams in the past, so who cared if he had one random dream involving some younger kid?

Except it wasn't just _one_ dream.

Okay, so who cared if he had a _reoccurring_ dream involving some younger kid?

Except it wasn't _exactly_ a reoccurring dream since things often changed: where they were, the time of day, even the kid's age seemed to change as Masamune also grew older. The only thing that seemed to stay constant was the other boy's presence.

Okay, but still, just a dream, why did it matter?

Because Saga Masamune was in love with a _figment of his imagination._

The literal dream boy had a name, Onodera Ritsu, and Masamune was in love with him.

Masamune couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment these feelings started to develop or even when their 'relationship' became romantic, it just sort of...happened. There was no big confession from himself or from the dream-teen and yet their words became sweeter and touches lingered between the two of them and _Masamune was so screwed and destined to be stuck in his own head forever if he kept this up._

It was boring and exhausting and overall concerning to analyze himself, but he supposed this was his way to make up for the affection and attention he lacked in real life. Masamune never found making friends or maintaining relationships-romantic or not-easy and therefore was alone a lot of the time. For the most part he didn't mind so much, but he was still a person. There were moments he longed for someone to talk to who would talk back instead of meow and the longer these dreams went on, the more he desperately wanted a real connection. One of the most worrying aspects was that he didn't just want anyone, though. He wanted Ritsu. Someone who wasn't real and never could be and yet somehow he couldn't convince his heart otherwise. He'd never be satisfied.

He let out a frustrated groan as his thoughts chased each other in this never ending circle of _I-should-talk-to-someone-and-get-help-but-then-I-might-not-see-Ritsu-ever-again-but-Ritsu's-not-real_ etc. etc.. He tried to stop thinking about the whole dilemma entirely and instead shut his eyes. It was still early, but he was tired of hearing his parents fight and tired of fighting with himself. He deserved to be happy, even if it was only for a little while and only in a dream.

* * *

When Masamune took in his surroundings he noticed he was no longer in his bedroom, which did not alarm him. He was sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree, leaning against it's trunk, currently alone. He waited patiently, wishing he had a book or something to help him pass time, but he usually wasn't alone for very long. Or-if he was-he couldn't really tell because time in dreams was so strange. Sometimes it felt like he only spent minutes dreaming and then would wake up to find he had slept for hours. Eventually, he spotted a figure in the distance walking toward him. He stood, deciding to meet him halfway, having a pretty clear idea as to who it was.

Masamune was greeted with a familiar and lovely smile, accompanied by bright green eyes and a slight blush. He took in the sight of Ritsu for a moment before bringing him into an almost crushing hug. A soft yelp of surprise left Ritsu as he was suddenly pulled into his arms before gave a nervous, but also delighted laugh and hugged him back shyly.

"Hi, Saga Senpai." Ritsu greeted in a lulled voice. Masamune was always tempted to ask him to drop the Senpai or call him by his given name, but another part of him argued that it was better this way. He should at least _try_ to keep his distance where he could, If the older teen heard Ritsu call him Masamune he might lose himself completely to this dream world.

"Hey." Masamune replied, holding on to him for a few moments before letting go and taking his hand instead, leading him over to the tree so they could sit underneath it together. Even after getting there and making themselves comfortable, Masamune didn't let go of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. How could it feel so _real?_ How could Ritsu's hand give off heat and warm his own up? How could it be so comforting and soft?

"Is everything okay, Senpai?" Ritsu asked.

 _I must have looked troubled,_ Masamune thought to himself. He sighed and hesitated before deciding to explain what was eating at him. After all, this was just a dream, it was a safe place to do so and Ritsu always felt like the safest person to talk to.

"It's just not fair." Masamune started and Ritsu looked confused. "You're not real and yet you make me fall in love with you, who gave you the right to do that?" He asked.

"Sh-Shouldn't _I_ be saying that?" Ritsu blushed and stuttered from the sudden love confession since Saga didn't often throw that word around. Now it was Masamune's turn to look confused. "Every day I wake up just to look forward to going back to sleep so I can see you again...that doesn't seem like any normal way to live, but I can't help it." Ritsu admitted, picking at nearby blades of grass anxiously. "I'm in love with you and _you_ aren't real, that's not easy, especially with my parents trying to push me into a real life relationship, but it would just feel like cheating on you, but I know that's _insane_ and I probably need help or something, but I can't see myself being with anyone but you and-" Ritsu was rambling now, his face bright red and palm sweating and body shifting nervously.

"So you're trying to tell me I'm just a dream?" Masamune interrupted him after letting him go on a little longer. He had definitely picked up on that throw away sentence of his parents trying to set him up with someone else, but that was another issue for _later._

 _What are you talking about? It isn't an issue at all because he's not real, dumbass,_ Masamune scolded himself.

"W-Well _yeah_...I mean...aren't you?"

"Nope. Totally a real person."

"W-Well so am I!"

"Now you're just being cruel."

"W-What? N-No, I would never-why would I-" Masamune cut him off with a brief, but effective kiss, leaving Ritsu slightly dazed.

"Let's talk about something else." The older boy said quickly before Ritsu could gain his wits back, not wanting to dwell on the painful subject. He wanted to enjoy his time here while he could. The thought of Ritsu being real made his heart give a pang of sadistic and wicked hope, a hope he knew would only end in callous disappointment if he let it grow.

Ritsu gave a frown, which made Masamune tempted to kiss him again so he could send the expression away, but he restrained himself.

"But you still don't believe me." Ritsu said in a huffy tone. Masamune was sure it wasn't meant to be cute and yet it was regardless.

"Do you believe I'm real?" Masamune asked, tilting his head slightly to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"Well-I _want_ to-but I know that's not possible."

"Then the feelings mutual." He said, letting go of Ritsu hand so he could instead wrap his arm around him and pull him closer. "But I can at least pretend you're real while we're here."

"But I _am."_ Ritsu repeated and instead of entertaining the possibility of that being true, Masamune blamed it all on his subconscious (and regular conscious if he were being honest) desperately wanting Ritsu to be more than just a dream and therefore Ritsu was insisting that he was.

Masamune merely gave him a small smile, but it held no happiness, only desperate desire and an overwhelming amount of love that he didn't know what to do with.

* * *

"Takano-san." Kisa called out in a dead voice. Masamune brushed him off, a book across his face like a sleeping mask. Whatever the hell it was, Kisa was perfectly capable of handling it on his own. At least, that was the conclusion Masamune came to so that he could continue to peacefully ignore him. Yet, the baby-faced editor continued to pester him, to Masamune's disappointment and irritation.

"Takaaaaanooooo-saaaaan." He repeated, whining much more this time around, making Masamune's sour mood worsen.

"I heard you the first time." He nearly shouted, but managed to maintain the very little composure he had left. He picked the book up, tossing it on to his desk and rubbing his bleary eyes.

"The new guy's here." Kisa said before laying his head on his desk to pass out since he deemed his duty of informing his boss to be done.

"Oi-" Takano started to reprimand Kisa as he put on his glasses before looking at the newbie, who was currently bowing politely.

"My name is Onodera Ritsu and I'll be starting at Emerald today." His voice poorly concealed his nerves, but Masamune could hardly blame him considering their office currently looked like a war zone.

"Onodera...Ritsu?" He echoed, frowning. It had to be a coincidence. As Masamune grew older his dreams for some unknown reason gradually started to stop-despite him wanting to cling on to them. Even though he wasn't ready to let go of his imaginary boyfriend (God, that was so sad), he had hoped that it would be a good thing. He thought he could finally get over the guy who only existed in his head and his heart, but he could never get rid of the thought of the blushing brunette.

Ritsu rose to stand up straight and Masamune forced himself to swallow a gasp as his heart was pierced and shattered by two familiar and bright green eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

(I was convinced to write another chapter lol)

"Is it really _you?"_ Masamune asked, almost sounding out of breath from his bewilderment and simultaneous elation, staring at Ritsu in pure amazement.

Only moments earlier the chief editor had made up some excuse to leave the office and take the newbie with him so that they could have some privacy. It was believable to say there was an emergency elsewhere and that it could be a learning experience for Ritsu. However, he instead led him to the nearest empty room and locked the door behind them, hopefully not looking like a complete madman in Ritsu's eyes.

Ritsu's eyes, those damn green eyes that haunted his existence, haunted his very soul. He'd never forget them, he wouldn't be able to even if he tried and he certainly _had_ tried multiple times in the past.

"I-I'm sorry, excuse me? I'm afraid I don't understand..." Ritsu murmured, shifting nervously and avoiding eye contact. Masamune recognized the habit and found it extremely endearing, not caring if it was pathetic or ridiculous that he felt like swooning over the smallest things because damn it _Ritsu was real and he was here and he was everything Masamune ever imagined._

Or had he ever _really_ imagined it? Obviously this man wasn't a hallucination or anything of the sort. Unless, of course, Masamune had completely gone off his rocker and he was now harassing some poor new employee who would be quitting right after this encounter.

"Surely I haven't changed that much...though it has been a long time since I last saw you." He mulled this over for a moment before introducing himself. "My name is Takano Masamune, but I suppose you would know me as Saga Masamune. I stopped having those dreams before my name changed, so I guess you wouldn't really know about that." He explained briefly, but it seemed to be enough as Ritsu's eyes went wide with recognition, making Masamune's heart jump.

Ritsu was real and he was here and he _remembered Masamune._ It certainly felt like a wonderful and hopeful start, however there also seemed to be a slight problem already.

"What-how-you-but-you were just-" Ritsu, unlike Masamune, did not seem happy and instead appeared extremely troubled by this real life reunion. Which just wouldn't do, in Masamune's opinion, and would have to change as soon as possible. Preferably immediately. "I thought I was over this! I really have gone crazy if I'm starting to see you while I'm awake." He groaned and mussed up his hair in frustration. "You can't be here, it's not-it doesn't make any sense! Maybe I'm asleep?" Ritsu started to try to pinch himself repeatedly, but his efforts were useless as all he succeeded in was making his arm hurt a little.

"You aren't glad to see me?" Masamune asked, wondering why his presence was causing so much panic.

"Glad to-? I never thought I would be seeing you at all! I-I don't know how to feel." Ritsu admitted, rubbing his eyes as if the issue was his eye-sight and he was just mistaken. Masamune was still there even after blinking a few times and Ritsu sighed in defeat.

"You wound me." Masamune said, though it came across much more playful than truly offended. He pulled in Ritsu for hug before the younger man could spout some more nonsense about the implausibility of it all. A weight that had been wearing Masamune down little by little over the years lifted as he held Ritsu close for the first time in years. For the first time _ever._

"How are you-how can you just accept this so easily?" Ritsu started to squirm, wanting to get some distance between himself and this 'vision' of his past pretend boyfriend. He couldn't let himself fall easily into his arms, not like he had done in the past. It was agony to love someone so deeply while knowing you could never be with them. He couldn't go through with something like that again. But...Masamune was real, was he not? He was real and right in front of him.

"Because I've been ready to accept it _the whole time,_ just never really thought I'd get the chance." Masamune admitted, letting his fingers run through Ritsu's soft hair. He noted with delight that Ritsu still smelled like mint.

"...I told you I was real..."

"Are you mad about me not believing you?"

"What? No-I-I'm not _mad_ -"

"You didn't think I was real either. Seems like you still don't, so we're even."

"Well, of _course_ I didn't think you were real back then! I only ever saw you in my dreams! And it's a little hard to believe now!" Ritsu huffed in that adorable way Masamune had admired in the past and he quickly discovered he still admired it now. Masamune couldn't fight the smile making it's way on to his lips.

"I know, but that doesn't make it any less incredible, does it?" He asked.

Ritsu shrugged noncommittally, his face getting redder with every passing moment he remained in Masamune's embrace. "I-I guess, b-but now what?" He asked. "I mean-it's not like we could-not like we could _actually-"_ He cut himself off, having a pained expression.

"Not like we could actually what?" Masamune had a pretty good idea as of what Ritsu was going to say, but he wanted to hear him say it out loud because they were both stubborn bastards. "If you can look me in the eye and still say we can't be together then we can pretend like none of this ever happened. But, it's not everyday two people dream of each other for years, fall in love, and then meet in real life in case you haven't noticed. Do you really think that doesn't mean anything?"

"I-I never said it doesn't mean anything." Ritsu argued weakly. "But what if we don't even like each other anymore? We-we could be completely different people now, it's been _ten years_ since we last saw each other..."

"Then I just get to fall in love with you all over again. That sounds like a great time to me." Masamune answered before giving a sigh as Ritsu still seemed unconvinced. "Ritsu," he took notice of the way the brunette's blush darkened at being called his given name, "we can't brush this off as some weird coincidence."

" _Weird_ is an understatement." Ritsu mumbled stubbornly.

"You're right, but it would be even weirder if all of this just _happened_ to occur for no reason whatsoever, right?"

Ritsu hesitated before he reluctantly agreed, giving a nod. "I guess so." The brunette relaxed in his arms and for a moment seemed to be on the path towards acceptance of their strange situation until worry overcame him again. Masamune went to ask him what was wrong, but there was no need as his love so gracefully blurted out, "I'm engaged." before appearing to immediately regret his choice of words.

Masamune tightened his grip on Ritsu, his breath catching in his throat for a moment. "You're _what?"_

 _"_ I-no-not _really_ engaged-not _engaged_ engaged-but-like-it's not like I love her-but-!" Ritsu's eyes were darting around the room to avoid Masamune's expression as he scrambled to explain himself.

"You're marrying someone you don't love?"

" _No!_ I am _not_ marrying her!"

"Then why are you engaged?" Masamune tried his best to not to sound horridly jealous and possessive.

"It's my parents! It's something they've had dreamed up since I was like five, but we're not _really_ engaged, I've told my parents I'm not going to go through with it and they can't really enforce something like that in this day and age..." Ritsu's voice was shaking with nerves, clearly disliking this subject.

"What about her?"

"Huh?"

"The girl you're engaged to. What about her?"

"I mean...she-well-uh-" Ritsu tried to think of the best way to possibly say it, but his hesitance gave it all away, making Masamune sigh.

"She wants to get married, doesn't she?"

"...She _did_ confess her feelings to me, back when we were kids, but she-she knows I don't feel the same!" Ritsu insisted.

"You just _always_ have to make things difficult, don't you?" Masamune sounded exasperated, but he ruffled Ritsu's hair affectionately regardless.

"Eh? What do you mean by that? It's not like I do these sorts of things on purpose-" Ritsu's face was contorted in a scowl that had no real effect.

"I mean first you make me fall in love with you under the impression you aren't real, making me think I'm crazy and making it pretty much impossible to be in any other relationship and now that you are real and right in front of me, you're telling me you have a fiance. What am I gonna do with you?"

"Forget about me?" Ritsu offered, unsure of how much he really meant it. Masamune scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"As if. You think I haven't already tried that? Never worked and I'm glad it didn't. I guess I'll just have to steal you away from your fiance."

"I-she's not really my-steal me away?"

"But I suppose we should start things properly this time, since I can actually take you out on a date now."

"A _date?!_ Now, wait a second-"

"Don't think you'll receive any special treatment from the boss, though." Masamune smirked and Ritsu looked like a flustered mess. An _adorable_ flustered mess, to be exact.

"I would never expect-wait-a date? But-we-you're my boss, just like you said and my parents-" Masamune pressed a brief, light kiss to his lips to get him to stop rambling for just a second, which he was happy to see was successful now just as it always had been in the past. Masamune couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping him.

"It was always easy to get you to shut the hell up that way." He commented, Ritsu's cheeks exuding the same color and heat of a raging inferno.

"It-this isn't going to be easy by any means." Ritsu warned him, trying to collect himself.

"Ritsu, I've been under the impression that I've been in love with a figment of my imagination for many, _many_ years now. I never expected _any_ this to be easy. In fact, now that I know you're real, this is going to be _much_ easier than I ever imagined it could be."

Ritsu pursed his lips and was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"...You really never forgot about me?" He asked shyly. Masamune gave a fond smile.

"Never. Did you ever forget about me?"

Ritsu merely shook his head, too embarrassed to answer out loud. Masamune's smile widened and he gently kissed Ritsu's forehead.

"The office is literal hell right now, which I'm sure you noticed when you came in, but after we get all that mess sorted out how about we make dinner plans?" Masamune suggested, sounding so hopeful that he almost didn't recognize his own voice. Ritsu always seemed to have that kind of sappy-romantic effect on him. He honestly didn't mind one bit.

Ritsu weighed Masamune's words carefully before slowly nodding, fighting back his own smile. "I...I would like that a lot..." he admitted, blush still burning strong. "Though...I wonder why the dreams stopped in the first place." He thought out loud.

Masamune merely shrugged as if it didn't matter, as if the dreams disappearing (and subsequently Ritsu disappearing) hadn't taken a sledgehammer to his heart, because it really _didn't_ matter. Not anymore.

"I don't know. But I like real Ritsu better than dream Ritsu anyway." Masamune said before kissing him once more, this one much more lingering and bursting with all the love Masamune could finally give.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: People asked for ANOTHER chapter and like...this was not supposed to happen lmao I've always just left my oneshots as oneshots but...I ain't got anything better to do lol also just as a little context: this chapter takes place BEFORE the first two chapters, so yeah we be diving into the past bby but there will probably be a fourth chapter focusing on their reunion-but no promises! also Masamune feels Extra Emo in this one tbh but oh well)

Saga wondered when his cold cynicism started to overpower the bright child inside of him. Either way, at fifteen years old he regarded the world and those in it with a slightly irritated indifference. He would observe his peers, laughing and talking about what was essentially nothing and Saga could only see meaningless relationships, fake and merely convenient connections. Frivolous and fragile, so easily broken by the simplest and stupidest of things. For this reason, he found it pointless to try to make friends, albeit this made his existence a lonely one.

Some days were easier than others. He would accidentally bare witness to a messy breakup or overhear some complicated drama and then be grateful that he wasn't involved in any of the typical day-to-day bullshit.

But those other days-days like today-he was forced to come face to face with the fact that _this wasn't working._ It was such a _stupid_ reason to suddenly feel so terrifyingly alone. The couple he walked by on the way home probably wouldn't even be together in two weeks, but...the way they had smiled at one another, how they laughed, how they seemed to be wrapped up safely in their own little blissful bubble that Masamune cruelly wanted to pop, and how they're affection for one another seemed so alarmingly _real._ Still, he tried to tell himself that his seclusion was fine, he _needed_ it to be fine, he _had_ to convince himself that the only company he needed was his own. Otherwise, his desolate solitude would suffocate him.

He flopped down on to his bed after arriving home, a bit grateful to find the house empty, but also a little disappointed. It might have been nice to hear his parents arguing just as a reminder that he wasn't completely alone.

 _God, that's pathetic, isn't it?_ He thought to himself with a bitter smile.

He stared up at his bedroom ceiling, his mind drifting back to the couple that had unintentionally botched his whole mood. His self-mocking smile was replaced with a tight line. Briefly, he wondered if anyone would ever make him smile like that before scoffing and rolling his eyes. He made sure his alarm was set for the next day before pulling his blanket over him to try and sleep away the entire day.

* * *

Masamune found himself standing in an empty street, the sky above being a gray overcast as if it were about to rain. Everything felt a little...strange. It was just a bit off, as though it weren't really happening, which would explain his lack of panic at suddenly appearing elsewhere. Then a rumble of thunder came in from overhead and a raindrop hit his cheek. He huffed, but noticed a bus stop he could take shelter under, approaching it slowly until the rain began to downpour. He then picked up his pace, realizing someone else had the same idea.

He eyed the boy-who was maybe 12 or 13-with a bit of caution as he sat down next to him. His brown hair was drenched so it seemed he hadn't gotten out of the rain quite in time either.

The stranger regarded Masamune with the same amount of suspicion, glancing at him briefly with astounding green eyes that caused Masamune to be taken aback for a moment before he forced himself to brush it off.

The boy hugged himself and shivered, his clothes soaked as well and Masamune felt a bit of sympathy

"Wonder where the rain came from..." The boy said, seeming to be talking more to himself, but Masamune replied regardless.

"It seemed like it was gonna rain as soon as I got here." He shrugged, leaning back against the bench.

"Weird...it was sunny before." The boy sighed, obviously disheartened by the sudden storm. He then looked at Masamune and offered a nervous smile, shifting in his spot. "I'm Onodera Ritsu, by the way." The boy introduced himself. The name didn't sound familiar and neither did the face, but dreams could dig up all sorts of weird stuff from one's subconscious.

"I'm Saga Masamune." The older teen replied.

"Nice to meet you." Ritsu replied politely, his smile widening and something about it annoyed Masamune. Why was he smiling as though he was reuniting with an old friend rather than meeting a stranger? It seemed a waste and gave off the impression of naivety, like this kid thought the world was his friend.

"Could you not smile at me like that? It's weird."

The smile immediately disappeared and was replaced with an expression of surprise and hurt. "Oh...I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I just-um-I was trying to be nice, but we don't have to talk if you don't want to, I don't want to bother or annoy you or-" He rambled, which Masamune found more annoying than his smile. Really, it was nothing to get _that_ worked up over. Still, Masamune couldn't help but to feel a little bad for making the kid anxious.

"Look, it's fine, I'm just...not in a good mood is all." Masamune cut him off, looking off into the unyielding rain.

"Ah...I see...you can talk about it if you want," Ritsu offered before hastily adding, "but it's okay if you don't want to!" Masamune wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained.

He then seriously considered Ritsu's words. Maybe it would do him some good to talk a bit about what was bothering him. He'd never talked about it with anyone before and the dream world around him was lulling him into a sense of security without him even realizing it.

"I just...I don't exactly have...friends." He admitted with a sigh. "And most days that's just fine. I don't want to waste my time with people who are just looking to gain something from me, but...today...I don't know, sometimes it's just hard to be alone, that's all. But it's better than making fake friends that just result in pointless drama." he said all of this with an impassive expression, still staring at the rain.

"Not everyone's like that." Ritsu argued and it sounded so cliche that Masamune almost laughed.

"Yeah, well, relationships still seem like such a chore. I don't have the energy to deal with people's bullshit."

"But if you're lonely then you must want a friend."

"I never said I was _lonely."_ Masamune said, sounding annoyed, making Ritsu go quiet.

Time passed-Masamune didn't know how much-and for a while there was only the sound of rain beating the ground. Masamune noticed out of the corner of his eye Ritsu squirm and shift, seeming as though he wanted to say more but was unsure of whether or not he should.

"W-W-Well, I could be your friend." Ritsu offered nervously after a bit, making Masamune raise an eyebrow.

"No thanks."

"What? Why not?" He frowned, feeling a bit offended at how quickly his offer was turned down.

"You're the kind of person I like the least. Someone who's happy for no reason and says shit like 'not everyone's like that'. It's annoying." Masamune stated bluntly and Ritsu's frown deepened.

"I-I see. I-I'm sorry, I just-I only-I wanted to help." Ritsu said, looking away from Masamune and gazing down at his lap. "I...I'll just go then." He stood from the bench. "Again, so sorry to bother you." He said with a strained smile out of politeness.

"I'm not going to send you out into the rain, I'm not that much of a jerk."

"No, really! It's fine. I don't mind so much." Ritsu replied. _Liar._

 _"_ I hate overly polite people too."

"I'm sor-"

"So be rude instead and stay here and _stop_ apologizing. I'm not heartless enough to just watch you walk out into that mess." Masamune crossed his arms and Ritsu watched him, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"O-Okay..." He hesitantly sat back down on the bench as far away as he could from Masamune.

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

"I never thought-!"

"Then stop acting like I'm going to." Masamune held back the urge to groan.

Ritsu then huffed, getting a little frustrated. "I really don't understand you at all." He admitted, Masamune smirked a bit in amusement. He surprisingly enjoyed the realness of Ritsu's frustration. It wasn't politeness for the sake of politeness or kindness for the sake of kindness. How Ritsu really felt was written all over his face and Masamune appreciated that, at the very least.

"That's fine." Masamune shrugged.

It was Ritsu's turn to hold back the urge to groan. What was with this guy? He hated being alone yet hated being with other people too?

"The way I see it, you just haven't met the right people yet." Ritsu offered before biting his lower lip, having no idea what would annoy this older teen and what wouldn't. Masamune shrugged again.

"Maybe." Masamune said. 'You just haven't met the right people yet' sounded similar to 'not everyone is like that', but the idea was a little more appealing. Just as cliche, but appealing regardless.

"A-A-And like I s-said before, I could be your f-friend."

Masamune looked at Ritsu with a curiosity. He had been nothing but a jerk and _still_ this weird, anxious kid was offering him some kind of comfort with seemingly nothing to gain from it.

"You know, I don't understand you either."

"T-Then we could t-try to figure each other out?"

"...Pft."

"What?"

"That was so stupid and you were so serious while saying it, sounded like something out of a shoujo manga."

"Er-I'm sorry-I don't really read manga so I don't get it."

Masamune bit back his laughter and shook his head. This kid was funny, though it didn't seem he was trying to be. "Don't worry about it then. But yeah, sure, let's 'try to figure each other out'."

"...Are you making fun of me?" Ritsu asked, face a bit red with embarrassment and Masamune fervently ignored the way the sight made him feel a bit strange.

"Not at all."

The rain started to lighten up just the tiniest bit.

* * *

Masamune woke up with bleary vision to his alarm clock nosily screeching. He groaned tiredly, hitting it to shut it up. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before trying to blink away the fuzziness that came with recent sleep.

 _Weird dream..._ he thought to himself as he sat up. He wondered, was he really _so_ lonely that he had to dream up someone he could be friends with? He let out a sigh and shook his head a bit. That was...concerning, to say the least. But, it was only one dream, it hardly mattered. He stood to start to get ready for school.

 _What had he said his name was? Onodera Ritsu?_ Masamune usually didn't remember details like that, no matter how strange or vivid the dream may have been, which they for some reason usually were. His dreams often left a feeling in him like he had experienced something surreal. That, or it was a distinct emotion like fear or guilt or excitement, depending on what the dream had been about.

So it was...a bit odd that he could remember the kid's name. Not only that, but he remembered his clothes, his hair, the way he smiled, and above all else his eyes. They had been so...blindingly bright.

Masamune shook his head as he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He was overthinking things.

After all, it was _just_ a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N: Here we go agaaaaaaaaaaain lol this might be the last one? I MIGHT do one more, but like idk)

 _If you're not home, get home and then come over to my place. Or skip your place all together and just come to mine._

Ritsu read the text a couple times, words starting to blur together from a combination of exhaustion and drowning himself in endless shoujo manga in an attempt to start to understand the genre. He and Masamune had exchanged numbers which was a huge mistake because the man _would not leave him alone_ over these past few days. Luckily they managed to get out of what Ritsu learned was 'hell-week', but there was still work to be done.

Despite Ritsu's insistence that Masamune focus on his work and let Ritsu do the same, he couldn't help but to feel just a _little_ happy when getting a text from him even while they were on the clock. It temporarily made him forget about his stress and made him experience a kind of giddiness that the heroine's in the mangas they edited often expressed. But only a little. And he would never admit that out loud, it was far too embarrassing and Masamune already seemed to have enough confidence. Ritsu didn't need to add to it.

 _Just finished up, on my way home now,_ Ritsu replied and was surprised at how quickly Masamune texted back. He started to leave the building as he continued talking with his boss, glancing up every so often from his phone just to make sure he wasn't about to run into something like a klutz.

 _Damn you're_ still _there? What the hell are you doing there so late? Are you cheating on me with the janitor or something?_

Ritsu snorted and rolled his eyes, smiling as he shook his head.

 _No, idiot. Even if I_ was _with someone else it wouldn't be cheating because I'm technically not your boyfriend._ Ritsu had to remind him of this pretty regularly.

 _Yet, you forgot to add yet, but you pretty much are, I just haven't officially asked because I'm a gentleman and I'm going to take you on a date first._ Ritsu rolled his eyes again at the word 'gentleman'.

 _I'm swooning_

 _You KNOW it turns me on when you're sarcastic_

Ritsu had to keep himself from physically face palming. What about this guy did he ever find charming or lovable? Though, he couldn't deny that it made him laugh. Even though he wasn't sure if Masamune was joking.

 _How are you so sure I'll say yes?_ Now Ritsu was being a little mean and teasing just for the sake of it. He supposed Masamune rubbed off on him a bit during his teenage years, and he didn't know if that was necessarily a good thing.

 _Anyways, are you coming over?_

Very smooth transition.

Did he mention that it turns out he and his boss were neighbors? Masamune only took it as another sign that they were meant to meet and be together and Ritsu found it hard to argue (not that he truly wanted to).

 _It's late and I'm not even on the train yet,_ Ritsu replied, starting to near the station.

 _What's your point?_

Ritsu let out a sigh, but his wide smile couldn't be denied.

 _The point is I wanna go to bed._

 _Okay, there's a bed here._

Takano Masamune was going to be Ritsu's official cause of death.

* * *

"So, just exactly what were you doing at the office so late?" Masamune asked out of curiosity, setting down two cups of tea on his coffee table before sitting next to Ritsu on the couch. Masamune preferred coffee over tea, but it seemed like an inappropriate hour to make some-if such a thing existed.

Ritsu picked up his cup with a quiet thanks before taking a tentative sip. "I was reading mangas that Emerald's published. I wanna at least kind of know what I'm doing or know what I'm _trying_ to do." The brunette explained before taking another sip. Masamune stared at him for a moment. He was _reading manga that entire time?_

"You're an idiot."

"Hey-!"

"Ritsu, I am right here at your disposal. If you want help just ask me instead of reading manga for hours." Wasn't that obvious? Seriously, Ritsu always seemed to do things the hard way. It could be charming to see him try so hard to work things out on his own, but sometimes it was also incredibly frustrating.

"I-I _know_ that, but I just-I wanted to get a little familiar with the genre is all."

"Getting 'a little familiar with the genre' isn't the same as slaving over it." Masamune gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, at least you've got some motivation. Let's just hope you haven't used it all up. Besides, that isn't really what I wanted to talk about."

"Then why did you make me come over instead of letting me go to bed?"

"Well, first of all I wanted to see you," Ritsu couldn't help but to blush at how casually Masamune just said that, "and second of all we still haven't discussed the details of our date." Ritsu blushed darker and Masamune definitely noticed if that damn smirk meant anything.

"I-well-I don't really know..." Ritsu admitted and Masamune kissed his teeth in disappointment and disbelief.

"You're telling me you didn't think about where we could've gone on dates when we were younger?"

"No! Well-maybe-I mean-did you?" Ritsu tried to turn the tables, but it failed as he remembered Masamune had absolutely zero shame.

"Yeah." Masamune said it as though it were the most _painfully_ obvious thing.

"I'm starting to think I prefer when you _wouldn't_ speak your mind so often." Ritsu knew he was saying that just because he was flustered. Masamune chuckled a bit and wrapped an arm around him. "You know, now that i think about it, you were a jerk to me when we first met." Ritsu pointed out, startling Masamune a bit with the blunt statement.

"Yeah, I was kind of a jerk to everyone. Yet you still wanted to be my friend, so what does that say about you?" Masamune smirked playfully.

Ritsu just looked away from him stubbornly. "Whatever." He cleverly retorted.

"But you're also the one who made me _not_ such a jerk in the end, so thanks."

"No, you're still very much a jerk."

"But you still love me."

"I-I never said-"

"You don't have to." Masamune kissed him softly. _Cocky bastard,_ Ritsu thought to himself, but kissed back regardless. Masamune smiled and proceeded to let his lips linger wherever he could: Ritsu's cheeks, his forehead, his jaw, neck. This caused the younger man to nearly burst into flames and die on the spot.

"C-Cut it out, I'm trying to be annoyed with you."

"You were never very good at that, so why start trying now?"

"Shut up."

"About that date."

Ritsu groaned. "Takano-san, I want to go to bed." He complained.

"I don't see a Takano-san around here."

Ritsu stumbled over his next response, not having expected that. He had forgotten about Masamune's request of being called his given name when they were outside the office. "I-I-you-shut up." He repeated, gripping his cup tightly and taking a drink so he had an excuse not to talk for at least a moment.

Masamune sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to pick where we go." He said. "Come on, let's go to bed. You've got bags under your eyes which must mean you're officially a part of the Emerald team."

"Yay."

"I already warned you about what your sarcasm does to me."

Ritsu just laughed, making Masamune smile wide. "Just show me where your room is, idiot."

"No need to tell me twice."

* * *

"Takano-san, _please_ tell me where we're going." Ritsu pleaded, the anticipation starting to eat away at him.

Yet, he did not receive a reply.

"Takano- _saaaaaan."_

No response.

Ritsu groaned and rolled his eyes so hard he almost saw his own brain.

"...Masamune."

"Yes?"

Ritsu groaned again, a part of him having hoped that _wouldn't_ work. "You are a child. I feel like a babysitter."

"A babysitter with absolutely no authority or control."

"Yes, exactly."

"You are a _terrible_ babysitter then."

They were both smiling at this point, but Ritsu still wasn't giving up.

"So, where are we going?" Ritsu asked again and Masamune shook his head.

"Not telling."

Ritsu knew it wouldn't be that easy and yet he was still annoyed with his response. "Why not?" Masamune just shrugged in response. He didn't really have a real reason other than loving to annoy Ritsu. Wow, he really was a child. Oh well.

"Just trust me when I say that you'll like it." Masamune assured with a small smile. He was admittedly very excited that he was _finally_ going on a date with Ritsu. A _real_ date. Not one in a dream or one he imagined while awake.

"You're annoying." Ritsu burst his happy little thought bubble, but Masamune's mood did not waver one bit.

"Mhm."

"And over-confident."

"Yup."

"And basically just the worst."

"Whatever you say, dear." Masamune chuckled, reaching over to hold his hand and give it a squeeze. Ritsu looked out the passenger window in hopes that Masamune wouldn't catch sigh of his smile.

* * *

Once they arrived at their destination, Masamune watched Ritsu a little nervously as he waited for a reaction. He didn't take Ritsu for the type to enjoy eating at a fancy restaurant-he seemed to anxious to enjoy himself in a place like that-but Masamune still wanted their official first date to be nice and would hate for Ritsu to not to have a good time.

So, with the cherry blossom trees starting to come into bloom, it seemed like an obvious choice to go and view them together.

He hoped Ritsu agreed.

The brunette in question was staring in awe, tempted to reach out and hold Masamune's hand despite being in public because there was some kind of undeniable meaning behind all this that he couldn't quite pinpoint, but it made his heart swell regardless.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Masamune asked.

"Nothing-I-its nothing-I just...I'm happy." Ritsu admitted, looking down at his feet with a shy smile. "I...there were almost always cherry blossoms around whenever I dreamed of you and I just-it's nice." He added, seeming to have trouble expressing his feelings, but Masamune still knew what he meant.

"I know. I noticed that too. Come on." He took Ritsu's hand with a smile and walked alongside him, the two of them admiring the delicate foliage together.

Though, Masamune found it difficult to focus on the tree's themselves with the way Ritsu was beaming. He could stare at that smile for the rest of his life.

 _You were a jerk to me when we first met._

Ritsu's words echoed in his head and he almost wanted to laugh at himself. He really _had_ been a jerk, almost lost Ritsu and all his smiles and scowls before he could even learn to love them.

"Hey," Masamune started softly to gain his attention, making Ritsu draw his gaze away from the trees, "I'm sorry."

"Huh? Sorry for what?" Ritsu tilted his head slightly, looking so cutely confused that Masamune had to restrain himself from kissing him silly.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk when we first met, I...wasn't in a good place. I didn't think that...that anyone could actually genuinely care about me, so my first instinct was to shove you away." He explained briefly. Ritsu's soft and reassuring smile was so sweet that Masamune could hardly handle it.

"I forgave you for that a long time ago. I wouldn't be here now if I didn't." Ritsu said, his cheeks a light pink, matching the cherry blossoms.

"If you didn't hate PDA I would kiss you like crazy."

"Sh-shut up, moron."

"Please be my boyfriend."

"E-Eh?!"

Masamune couldn't help but to laugh. "Don't act so surprised, you knew this was coming. I was going to wait until later to ask, but I can't." Especially not with how Ritsu was blushing like that.

"I..." Ritsu trailed off before taking a deep breath and nodding. "O-Okay."

"Alright, now it's official, once we're alone I'm kissing you like crazy."


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: I'm so weak when it comes to my total of six readers LMAO so have another chapter! ;* it gets a little dramatic)

Masamune was currently in the midst of an accidental and confused staring contest.

He had previously been lazing on Ritsu's couch, both of them trying to do some work, reviewing edits and Masamune advising the newbie. However, neither seemed to be succeeding since Ritsu's presence made Masamune want to just throw his responsibilities out the door and turn all his attention on the brunette. As a result, Ritsu was often either telling Masamune to focus or was successfully distracted. However, just as Masamune was starting to scheme how to convince Ritsu to take a little break there was a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it." Masamune offered, wanting an excuse to get up and stretch a bit anyways. The two of them had ordered some take-out as neither were in the mood to cook or go out to eat later. He walked away before Ritsu could scramble to grab some money and give it to him, opening the door and frowning a bit.

Instead of coming face to face with some delivery-person, in front of Masamune was a petite woman that he didn't recognize and notably did not have food.

She stared at Masamune with the same amount of bewilderment. Masamune apparently hadn't been who she was expecting to see either.

"Can I help you?" Masamune asked.

"Good evening, so sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for Onodera Ritsu? Is he here?" She asked.

"And may I ask who you are?"

"Ah-yes, of course. My name is Kohinata An."

"Alright...give me a moment." Masamune said before shutting the door and going back to Ritsu. Ritsu looked up when he came back into the living room and noticed with disappointment that his boyfriend did not come back with their dinner. "There's a woman at the door asking for you. She said her name was Kohinata An? Sound familiar?" Masamune didn't need a verbal response though as Ritsu's eyes went wide with alarm.

Ritsu stood and quickly went to the front door, Masamune trailing along behind him to eavesdrop due to his own curiosity.

Ritsu opened the door back up and An lit up with a smile when seeing him. "Ri-chan!" She exclaimed with excitement and Masamune couldn't help but to feel just a _little_ possessive when hearing her address him so casually. "For a moment I thought I might have had the wrong address." She added with a laugh before hugging him. Ritsu returned the hug, but seemed tense and nervous-which wasn't anything new.

"W-What are you doing here?" Ritsu asked with an anxious laugh after pulling away and she gave a pretty pout.

"Am I not allowed to visit my old friend? I tried calling you."

"I'm sorry, I've been distracted with work and my-um-friend who you just met." Ritsu explained hastily and An nodded, but watched Ritsu with an expectant look. Ritsu held back a wince as he hesitantly spoke again. "Do you-uh-wanna come in for a bit?" He offered. He _was_ happy to see his friend, and he would feel bad to just send her away after she came by, but he wasn't exactly ready for An and Masamune to be in the same room. He just hoped that An would take the hint that he was busy and now wasn't a good time.

"I'd love to! I promise I won't stay long though, since you still have work to do. Your mother told me about you working at Marukawa now, how is that going?" She asked as she crossed the threshold, removing her shoes as Ritsu shut the door and tried not to scream.

"It's good, um, a little stressful," Understatement, "but good. There was a mix-up so I ended up in the shoujo manga department instead of literature, but I like it." Ritsu summed up before gesturing towards Masamune who gave a wave. "This is my boss and neighbor and-uh-friend, Takano Masamune." Ritsu said and Masamune gave a slight grimace when being referred to as a friend for the second time now. If An noticed Masamune's unpleasant expression, she didn't give it away.

"It's very nice to meet you!" An greeted enthusiastically and it reminded Masamune a bit of the unabashed happiness Ritsu exuded as a teen. Except Ritsu was cuter.

"Nice to meet you too." Masamune replied politely, despite disliking their evening together being interrupted, the three of them making their way to the living room.

"So sorry for the mess." Ritsu murmured as he tried to organize all the papers that were currently on the table. An just smiled reassuringly as she took a seat.

"It's fine, Ri-chan, I'm the one who came by unexpectedly. I also have to admit that I did lie a bit, I didn't just drop by for the fun of it. I do have something I want to talk to you about. I wish I could do it later when you have more time set aside, but you're such a hard man to get a hold of, it's almost like your avoiding me!" Her pout returned and Ritsu laughed anxiously again.

"O-Of course I'm not avoiding you-I'm just very busy, that's all." Ritsu gave a smile, but it was Masamune's least favorite smile of his. It was a smile that was devoid of all joy and genuineness. It was instead very tense, fake, and there for the sake of keeping an interaction polite and peaceful. Damn Ritsu and his non-confrontational nature. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, I was thinking it over on my own, but your mother encouraged me to talk about it with you." An started and Ritsu's nervousness immediately worsened. "I was looking at possible dates for our wedding and-" Ritsu zoned out on whatever else she was saying because now he had a ticking time bomb of a boyfriend to worry about.

If Masamune had been holding something, it would have dramatically fallen out of his hand and on to the floor. _Of course._ How had he not put the pieces together before? He was such an idiot, _of course_ this was the fiance and she-unlike Ritsu-seemed to be completely under the impression that their wedding was in fact going to happen.

"A-An-chan, w-wedding dates? You-you know that I-I'm not-we're not-" Ritsu was looking back and forth between his old friend and Masamune, trying to find a way to appease both of them in this situation, but Masamune was an impulsive, jealous, possessive bastard and he was going to set this girl straight.

"Ri-chan, I know I confessed when we were kids and you rejected me, but...I thought maybe things were finally okay between us? Since you haven't broken off the engagement."

"I've tried!" Ritsu insisted, but talking with his mother was like talking with a brick wall. His mother could set up the whole wedding herself with her blood, sweat, and tears and Ritsu would still not show up to the altar, no matter how much she insisted it was going to happen. Ritsu would leave wedding guests waiting with baited breath on the big day if he had to and wouldn't feel an inch of guilt.

An did not appear completely convinced of Ritsu's efforts.

"Ritsu's not marrying you." Masamune stated out of the blue with an amount of certainty that threw An for a bit of a loop.

"I'm sorry, Takano, but this is-"

"If you're about to say this is a 'private matter' or that it's 'between you and Ritsu', sorry, but you're wrong."

"Takano-san.." Ritsu said in a warning tone. Uh oh, he used the formal name which meant Masamune was probably in trouble (or was going to be in the near future), but Masamune wasn't backing down.

"Ritsu can't marry you because he's not in love with you. He's in love with someone else. You might be in love with him, but the feeling isn't mutual, so why would you want to shackle yourself into a loveless marriage?" He asked. "You'll just find yourself facing disappointment after disappointment if you do."

An frowned, feeling a bit offended. What did this person know about Ritsu? She'd known Ritsu since they were children and Masamune knew nothing about their situation! Regardless, she turned to Ritsu-who looked like he was on the verge of having a meltdown-and addressed him. "Is this true? Are you in love with someone else?" She asked.

Ritsu almost winced, but nodded, unable to say no with a clear conscience, especially with Masamune right there watching him.

"Do I know her?" An asked out of genuine curiosity, not because of some malice that was driving her to confront Ritsu's object of affection.

"Technically, yes." Ritsu laughed and An was confused as to why, but didn't ask. She instead was quiet for a few moments, letting the tension in the room grow before she gave a defeated sigh and stood.

"Well...I hope that she treats you right, because that's what you deserve, Ri-chan. If she doesn't then I'll never forgive her!" An frowned, which didn't suit her doll-like face very well. "I...I won't ever stop loving you, but I...I hate the thought of making you unhappy. I think I'm going to need a little time to myself."

"Yes-um-of course." Ritsu stood as well to walk her to the door, the girl making a rather hasty exit. It was almost like she had never even dropped by. Masamune watched Ritsu and waited for him to speak when he came back into the living room, looking not exactly pleased. "Why did you do that?" Ritsu asked.

"Do what?"

"You _know_ what."

"It's not like I told her I was your boyfriend." Masamune said, even though he had _really, really, really, really_ wanted to.

"I-but-you-"

"Ritsu, would you rather just stay stuck in this engagement you don't intend to follow through with?"

"I just-I wasn't exactly _ready_ for the two of you to meet and to talk about all of this-"

"Would you have _ever_ been ready?"

Ritsu just gave a groan and flopped down on to the couch, grabbing a throw pillow and smothering himself with it.

" _I wasn't exactly_ expecting my boyfriend's fiance to waltz in here to talk about wedding dates." Masamune reminded him and Ritsu couldn't help but to feel a little guilty upon hearing that. The brunette set the pillow aside and sighed, scooting closer to him and shyly taking his hand.

"Yeah...that must've sucked." Ritsu admitted before groaning again and flopping his head on to Masamune's shoulder. "This all sucks."

"Yeah. Doesn't help that she's pretty."

Ritsu snorted and rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"What? I'm being serious. She seems like someone who would suit you, which makes it even worse. I could see you marrying her, having a couple kids, and being perfectly happy."

"Okay, except you're forgetting the most important part. I don't love her. You even said it yourself, so don't worry yourself sick over this. It's my problem."

"Your problems are my problems. I'm _always_ going to worry myself sick over you. Especially since I've seen how horrible your apartment can get."

"I was _never_ messy until I started working for you! I just don't have a lot of time to clean!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses. Though, your apartment isn't that bad today. Did you clean up just for me?"

"You could always just not come over."

"It's not fair if I'm always the host."

"I can't stand you and I'm still mad at you."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Shut up."

Masmaune chuckled a bit as Ritsu was reduced to his default retort whenever the two of them had their little back and forth. "This night certainly took a turn, didn't it?"

"A horrible, too fast of a turn that made me motion sick and gave me whiplash." Ritsu sighed. "But...I guess this had to happen at some point." He added. "For the first time since the whole wedding was dreamed up I feel like there's a chance of it _finally_ just being over." It was a bit of a relief. Ritsu knew that his parents would be a whole different obstacle, but if he could get An-chan to be on his side then maybe they would finally listen.

"You're welcome."

"That was _not_ me thanking you for butting in."

"Is it _really '_ butting in' when someone else is trying to marry _my_ boyfriend?"

"Shut up."

"You're so good at comebacks."

" _Shut up."_

 _"_ You know, you got lucky. What I _really_ wanted to do was make a complete mess of you right on the couch. Make out with you until you were dizzy, leave hickeys all over your neck, let my hand brush against your thigh-"

"I'm going to _kill you-"_

"But I didn't because I'm a good boyfriend. And you would have killed me."

Ritsu gave Masamune a halfhearted shove, scooting away from him. "You're too much." Ritsu's face was flushed at this point.

"It's a good thing that you love a challenge then. I think you can handle me just fine." Masamune smiled, kissing his cheek. "So...if you don't love her, like you said, then who do you love?" He asked and Ritsu scooted away again.

"I-I don't really think that-um-maybe we can-uh-talk about this later?"

"But I'm emotionally compromised and insecure."

"Those are the _last_ two things you are."

" _Ritsu."_ The brunette was a little startled at how serious Masamune became. "I love you and I want to always be with you. Don't you feel the same?" He asked.

Ritsu turned away from Masamune, nervously pulling at his sleeves and messing with his hair. "I...it's not easy to say out loud."

"Why not?"

Ritsu was quiet, trying to plan his next words carefully because he wanted to make it clear that the issue was _not_ that he didn't return Masamune's feelings. "It's just...scary. I'm-Masamune-I was in love with you for _years_ under the impression you weren't real and that not only made me think that there was something massively wrong with me, but...it hurt. I...if something were to happen _now,_ I...I really have no idea how I would be able to cope with that-in fact, I don't really think that I would and if I...if I say... _that_ then I'm pretty much done for." He did his very best to explain, hoping Masamune somewhat grasped his reasoning.

"Ritsu, we're both already in too deep."

Masamune was right and Ritsu knew that, but it didn't make it any less petrifying, if anything that scared him more.

"But...if you don't want to say it yet, then that's fine. I can wait." Masamune moved closer, taking Ritsu's hand in his again, but Ritsu felt unsatisfied with this conclusion. Masamune might have been joking, but...Ritsu was sure that there was a part of his boyfriend that was in fact insecure. Even though Masamune was an over-confident, cocky, egotistical bastard, meeting your loved one's fiance would shake anyone.

Ritsu squeezed his hand tightly. "I'm sorry." He sighed, unsure of just what exactly he was apologizing for. Maybe he was apologizing for the fiance fiasco, maybe he was apologizing for his own fears that were holding him back, either way he felt terribly guilty. "I...I don't love An-chan, but I do love someone. I'm sure you can connect the dots?" He sounded so pained yet hopeful.

Masamune chuckled and shook his head at the roundabout confession. "Always doing things the hard way. You'll never take the easy route, will you?" He asked, letting his thumb run over Ritsu's knuckles. "I understand." He said. "But I'm getting sick of all this seriousness. Let's go back to picking on each other, yeah?" Masamune suggested and was very pleased when Ritsu laughed.

"That sounds good to me."

"Good. Now, where the hell is our food?"

(A/N: This chapter ends on a much more light hearted note than I intended/expected and given the content of the chapter, maybe it shouldn't, but I like how it ends, sooooo yeah lol also this one shot is becoming one of my longest stories? what the hell?)


	6. Chapter 6

(A/N: ya'll want a lemon huh, ya'll really want me to bump the rating up to M huh, I honestly don't know if I am physically, emotionally, or mentally capable of writing smut, but I'll consider it for the future, but not this chapter sorry lmao)

This was _not_ happening again.

Masamune was not about to have another nice and quiet evening with his boyfriend interrupted. He was _supposed_ to be cuddling with an adorable brunette right now. They were _supposed_ to be lovey-dovey with one another right now-even if at first Ritsu always protested to being a part of something so 'embarrassing'. Needless to say, Masamune did not appreciate having _another_ unexpected guest.

Last weekend had taken a sour turn when Ritsu's 'fiance' unexpectedly dropped in and _this_ had the chance of being even worse.

Because Yokozawa was not _nearly_ as nice as An.

"Oi, what's with that face?" Yokozawa scowled, a plastic bag at his side that Masamune assumed held beer.

"You're the one making a face."

Yokozawa just scoffed and tried to get around Masamune. "Are you gonna let me in or not?"

"I'm gonna have to go with not. I have company."

Masamune should have been offended by the shock on Yokozawa's face, but he couldn't be since he knew he wasn't exactly a social butterfly. He could put on a good show during company parties and had quite the silver tongue when he wanted to, but it wasn't like he ever had anybody other than Yokozawa over. Until recently.

" _You? You_ have _company?"_

"Do I not seem like a good host?"

Yokozawa just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Masamune, we made plans to get together a couple days ago. Do you not remember?" He sighed, annoyed with his friend's forgetfulness.

Masamune didn't reply as he tried to reach into his memory, but all he could recall was Ritsu toiling over his most recent project and succeeding in the end, making his heart swell with pride. Wow, he was seriously lovesick. He should probably be worried about that. Oh well.

Yokozawa took his silence as a no.

"You're such an asshole."

"I've been called worse. Just come over tomorrow." Masamune maybe-sort-of-might-have told Yokozawa about Ritsu in the past after getting plastered. He had explained how he was in love with a boy in his head. Yokozawa rightfully thought he was off his fucking rocker and tried to help him in any way he could without going to a professional-Yokozawa had tried to convince Masamune to go see someone, but his friend had refused multiple times. Eventually, Masamune stopped talking about his dream boy and even started to try to see other people, even dated _Yokozawa_ for a period of time before realizing no one would satisfy his heart. No one but Ritsu.

However, Masamune wasn't sure how Yokozawa would react to being introduced to the very real and very _currently-on-his-couch_ Onodera Ritsu and he wasn't particularly in the mood to find out.

"I'm not gonna 'come over tomorrow', you'll just make up some other dodgy excuse." Yokozawa insisted, making his way into Masamune's home regardless of whether or not he was welcomed inside.

"Fine. But don't freak out. Actually, you might not even remember him." Masamune could hope, but the name Ritsu had been the only thing that left his lips for a long time, so he sincerely doubted that Yokozawa happened to just conveniently forget about that part of his life.

"Freak out? Who the hell have you let into your apartment?" Yokozawa asked, worried his friend got mixed up with someone or something dangerous. Masamune just gave a nonchalant wave, silently saying not to worry about it, leading him to the living room where he and Ritsu had been watching a movie that was currently on pause.

"Oh-um-hello." Ritsu sat up a little straighter when seeing a stranger, giving Masamune a confused glance.

"Sorry, this is my friend, Yokozawa Takafumi. I forgot I had made plans with him. This is Onodera Ritsu, my boyfriend."

Ritsu made a sound as if he had choked on his own spit, but Yokozawa seemed hardly shocked or disgusted, but there was a hint of anger. Ritsu assumed it was because they were a same sex couple, but oh boy was he wrong.

"Masamune," Ritsu tensed when the name left Yokozawa, "can I talk to you in private?"

"Nope." Masamune knew what he wanted to 'talk about'-which meant lecture-and he wasn't exactly worried about Ritsu hearing that conversation. It's not like Yokozawa wanted to talk about anything Ritsu didn't already know.

Yokozawa pinched the bridge of his nose. Some days Masamune seemed like he was twelve. "Fine. I guess your _boyfriend_ should hear about this anyway. Do you really think this is healthy for you? Dating someone with the same name as the kid you were so convinced was real for so long? Hell, he even looks like how you described!"

"Uh huh." Masamune pressed play and the movie started back up.

"This isn't a fucking joke, you moron! You're gonna send yourself barreling ten years backwards!" Yokozawa said before looking at Ritsu with an intensity that made the brunette want to disappear. "Do you know about this? Back when he was a teenager he'd have these dreams about someone named Onodera Ritsu and allegedly fell in love with him-"

"There was nothing 'alleged' about it." Masamune interrupted, sounding bored with this whole conversation.

"Except the problem is that he _wasn't_ and _still_ _isn't_ _real._ That shit nearly ate you alive, Masamune! Don't you remember that? You really think it's okay for you to pretend like everything is okay, using someone else as a replacement for the figment of your imagination? I really thought you had gotten over this weird obsession! You need help-"

"I know." Ritsu spoke up. It was quiet, but enough to gain both Yokozawa and Masamune's attention. "I-I know," He started again, less confident now that their eyes were on him, "about the dreams he had."

"You _know?_ And yet you're with him anyway?" Yokozawa asked in disbelief.

"Trust me, he knows _way_ more than you do." Masamune laughed under his breath and Yokozawa just scowled at him, clearly not amused with his friend.

"I-I know about them because I had them too. I had the same dreams. I-I'm not just a _replacement_ for the guy in his head...I uh...I _am_ the guy in his head. Well, at least I was." Ritsu explained nervously.

Yokozawa's gaze shifted between Ritsu to Masamune and back as he tried to formulate a response. "You expect me to believe that you two dreamed about each other for years and now you're meeting in real life?"

It sounded absolutely ridiculous and Ritsu knew that, but he nodded anyways.

"We met through work. He's an editor at Emerald now." Masamune summed up.

"Oh, so not only are you dating a resemblance of the guy in your dreams, you're also dating your employee. Very professional." Yokozawa was not convinced, disapproval dripping from his voice.

"He isn't a _resemblance_ of the guy from my dreams, he _is_ the guy from my dreams." Masamune corrected.

"You sound insane. Both of you do."

Masamune just shrugged, not really caring since he knew what the truth was. After years of thinking he was crazy, he finally knew that he wasn't and Yokozawa would not be taking that (or Ritsu) away from him, no matter how hard he tried to convince him that this wasn't real.

"How do you know he isn't just taking advantage of the fact that he's got the same name and face as your dream guy?" Yokozawa asked, acting as though Ritsu was not even there. "You can't just trust anyone with that kind of information, Masamune. That dream thing seriously gets you bent out of shape." Ritsu's face contorted into a horribly offended expression that Masamune had never seen before. Masamune didn't want to ever see it again either.

"Because he _knows_ things, Yokozawa, remembers the same dreams I do. Hell, he even reminded me of a couple things I had forgotten about. He recognized me immediately after I told him my name used to be Saga and went on and on just like you are about how this couldn't be real. Also, how _fucking coincidental_ would it be for someone to walk into my office with the same name and face as the guy I've been in love with for years. That seems _just_ as impossible as the possibility of us being together now. He can't just _fake_ this kind of thing."

Yokozawa met Masamune's hard gaze with one of his own before relenting with a sigh. "You better know what you're doing, Masamune."

"Of course I do."

Yokozawa just snorted derisively and rolled his eyes. "I'm still not convinced of this whole 'connected through dreams' bullshit." He said, narrowing his eyes at Ritsu. "So I'll be watching you very closely. Don't fuck this up."

"Would you just go? You're going to give him a heart attack. And I'll be watching _you_ very closely. Don't harass my boyfriend." Masamune warned and Ritsu almost cried out at being called Masamune's 'boyfriend' in front of someone else-someone who didn't seem to like him very much-for the second time. Masamune started to lead him toward the door, though Yokozawa was clearly reluctant.

"Don't ignore my calls and texts, this conversation isn't over." Masamune swore that Yokozawa was more like a mother than a friend sometimes.

" _Good night._ " Masamune shut the door once he managed to get his hot-headed friend out before returning to Ritsu and plopping not-so-gracefully next to him on the couch.

"Well...he seemed..." Ritsu tried to find a polite word for 'asshole', "abrasive."

A 'tch' left Masamune. "That's definitely one way to put it. Sorry about him, he's just doing what he thinks is best. He's not _always_ mad." He frowned and quickly backtracked on his words. "Well, he's not always _that_ mad." Ritsu was tempted to laugh, but that didn't seem like a joke.

"So, you told him about me?"

"Well, I didn't mean to at first. I never really planned on talking to anyone about it, but one night I got really drunk and I just went on and on about you and Yokozawa was worried to say the least. At first I was kind of mortified. I was sure he was gonna turn tail and run, but he was actually willing to listen. It was such a huge relief to finally talk about you with someone else. I mean, it didn't make me think I was any less crazy, especially since he did not let me indulge in the idea that you might be real for even a second, but it was still nice to not have to bottle it all up anymore." Masamune explained. "Damn, two weekends in a row ruined."

"I wouldn't say tonight was _ruined-"_

"It's pretty much been ruined." Masamune half joked and Ritsu just laughed at his dramatics. "But, I can think of a couple ways to save it." His words were submerged in suggestiveness and yet his air-head of a boyfriend didn't seem to pick up on what he had in mind.

"Like what? What are you smirking about? I-HEY! Masamune! Put me down!"

Ritsu's protests to being carried like a blushing bride were effectively smothered with heated kisses and stolen touches as Masamune headed toward his room, leaving the abandoned movie to run on it's own.


	7. Chapter 7

(So I started a smut chapter and I'm not giving up on it yet, but like...it's not looking hopeful lmao I've never written smut for a fanfic but I missed writing for this fic! also, if any of ya'll have any one-off chapter ideas for this fic, feel free to tell me bc I need inspiration lollll also that most recent chapter of SIH was...oof. Yikes. Bad. Not Good. Big Uh Oh. Ugh. So I think we could all use a little AU happiness, yeah?)

Ritsu hadn't meant to snoop. He had simply been looking for something to borrow to wear from Masamune's closet since he had spent the previous night, but it had been unplanned. He also didn't feel like going to his apartment to change only to come back (because he was sure Masamune would make him come back). Then he noticed the box. And how could he _not_ want to know what was inside?

So, he very quickly got distracted and hoped Masamune was preoccupied enough with breakfast to not catch Ritsu red-handed. The brunette got on his knees and dragged the box out, opening it up, already feeling guilty for being so nosy, but there was no turning back now!

What he found was certainly not what he had expected.

A yearbook.

That didn't seem strange, in fact it was almost what he had hoped for, but the thing that surprised him the most was that it was a yearbook from his own high school.

But that couldn't be right! There was no _way_ he and Masamune had just _happened_ to go to the same high school and then never ran into each other. If that was the truth then the universe was quite cruel for having the two of them be so close for so long, but never meeting.

Regardless, he went to the pictures of freshman to see if he could find himself among the group and there he was, a little first-year with a wide smile. He stared at the picture for a bit with distaste, hating the middle part down his hair and how... _naive_ he looked. He shook his head before he started to flip toward the senior portraits. If Masamune had in fact gone to this school, that's where his picture would be, right? Unless Ritsu had his math wrong. Then again, he had always been bad at math...

"What are you doing?"

Ritsu's entire body tensed and he nearly jumps to his feet, slamming the yearbook shut as if it was something scandalous that he didn't want Masamune to see.

"Nothing!" He quickly squeaked out, face a little flushed from being caught poking around.

Masamune was too amused to be angry, the corners of his lips quirking up a bit. "Doesn't seem that way." He came closer, seeing Ritsu clutching the yearbook to his chest as if trying to protect it. Or hide it from Masamune's view, which was not effective in the least bit. "I forgot I had that old thing. Hoping to find embarrassing pictures of me?"

"What-? No!" Ritsu denied quickly, but now that he mentioned it, that didn't sound like a bad idea. "I just-I was looking for something to borrow to wear and I saw the box so..."

"So, you decided to snoop?"

"I was not snooping!"

"Sure you weren't."

" _Anyway,_ um...it's just that...this was...my high school too." Ritsu hesitantly revealed.

Masamune's usually stoic expression was replaced with pure surprise. " _What?"_ He sat next to Ritsu, taking the yearbook and trying to flip to the freshman photos, but Ritsu quickly snatched it back.

"No!" It was meant to sound like a sharp command, but it came out more as a whine.

"Why not?" Masamune frowned. Masamune could not just be teased with the possibility of young Ritsu pictures. He was going to see them whether Ritsu wanted him to or not. "I wanna see your picture. Were you in any club photos? Let me-" Masamune tried to reach for the yearbook once again while Ritsu swatted him away.

" _That's_ what you care about? Masamune, we went to the same high school. We could have met each other a long time ago." Ritsu said. "Isn't that...weird?"

"Ritsu, I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems like _weird_ is all we do these days." Masamune replied, prompting Ritsu to roll his eyes, even though he knew his words held some truth. "Now I could be mad and frustrated that we didn't meet sooner, which I am, but I would much rather use that energy to look at cute pictures of you."

"Cute? I was _not-"_

"I bet you were one of those real shiny freshman, all smile-y and organized, unnaturally chipper."

"I wasn't-!"

Ritsu cut himself off with a whine as Masamune ruffled the brunette's hair with a gentle smile. Ritsu had to force himself not to stare at the genuine and loving expression. God damn it, every day he found it harder and harder to say no to him for _anything._

"I'll show you my picture. I wasn't in any clubs, so there's really only one, but," Masamune finishes off his sentence with a shrug, hoping Ritsu would accept his bargaining chip.

A blush starts to creep up on Ritsu's cheeks again as he does _not_ want to admit that he would very much enjoy seeing Masamune's picture.

"W-Why would I want to see that?" Ritsu bluffed, still holding the yearbook tightly. Masamune just snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Same reason I wanna see yours. Come on, breakfast is gonna get cold at this rate."

"Then let's just forget about this and eat."

"I would say 'nice try', but that really wasn't even a decent attempt to sway me."

"Sh-shut up."

Masamune smiled again, stealing a quick kiss much to Ritsu's 'disapproval.' Ritsu's predictably was nice, in a way. Amusing, at the very least. Sometimes comforting.

"Soooo, are you gonna give me the yearbook or not? You know I'm just about as stubborn as you and you can't cling on to that thing forever."

"I can just rip out the page with my picture."

"But you won't."

Ritsu bristled a little bit at that, now feeling vindictive and determined to do just that. "And why won't I?" Ritsu challenged.

"Because it would make me sad."

The honest and unbelievably simple answer startled Ritsu out of his bullheaded mindset. He then tried to scowl, but it ends up looking like a pout as he grumbled before giving a sigh. He then relented, thrusting the book out toward Masamune.

"Fine. Jerk."

Masamune happily took the yearbook into his hands and flipped through the freshman portraits, Ritsu quietly deciding not to assist in hopes that maybe Masamune will give up. Ritsu, of course, should know better.

"Just like I thought. All shiny and sparkling."

"I'm not _sparkling-"_

 _"_ And just as cute as I remember. Maybe even cuter, without all the dream haze." Masamune grinned, snaking an arm around Ritsu's waist and pulling him closer. "Maybe you should do your hair again like that sometime."

"Hell no." Ritsu deadpanned before deciding to attempt to fluster Masamune a little and catch him off guard. "Are you saying I was cuter back then than I am now?"

Again, Ritsu should know better. Because Masamune _always_ has an answer and _always_ has a way to flip things back around on Ritsu.

"Yeah, cause you were cute back then, but you're sexy now. Only someone perverted would dream of making a mess of you when you were a teen, but _now-_ "

"Shut up! Also you _did_ literally _dream_ of those things you bastard!"

Masamune has to hold back the urge to laugh at his boyfriend's grouchy expression, loving the rouge that spread across Ritsu's face.

"I know. I said someone perverted. Never said I wasn't." Masamune grinned.

"Just show me your stupid picture!" Ritsu huffed. Masamune pecked his lips once more, unable to help himself, before he flipped a few pages and showed Ritsu his own high school photo.

"You're so serious looking." Ritsu commented.

"That's all you have to say?" Masamune asked, more amused than offended.

Ritsu just rolled his eyes before he continued to study the picture, unable to stop the small smile that came to his lips. "You look exactly how I remember." He admitted. "You're so pale. Not that that's change. Do you ever go outside?"

"No."

Ritsu shook his head and let out a quiet laugh, making Masamune smile and give his waist a small squeeze. "You...you look nice." Ritsu eventually admitted, his shy words almost getting stuck in his throat. "H-Handsome." He stared fiercely down at the yearbook so he wouldn't have to look at Masamune, but that did him no good.

"You know what? I lied earlier. You're _just_ as cute as you were when you were fifteen. Maybe even cuter."

"I am not-!" Ritsu's head snapped up to glare at his boyfriend, but he could not finish his passionate protest as Masamune brought him into a kiss. _Just_ as Ritsu was starting to entertain the thought of letting the kiss linger, Masamune pulled away and Ritsu tried to compose himself, but he couldn't fight off the red that made it up to the tips of his ears.

"You know, I'm glad you decided to be nosy."

"I wasn't being nosy!" Ritsu denied quickly.

"Yes, of course, whatever you say dear." Masamune replied sarcastically as he stood before offering a hand to Ritsu. Ritsu put the yearbook back into the box before he gave his boyfriend an annoyed look that held no real contempt. He then stood on his own, stubbornly refusing Masamune's help.

"Always doing things the hard way." Masamune clicked his tongue in mock disapproval.

"This was too much to go through before having a cup of coffee." Ritsu complained. Masamune just smiled once more before leading his beloved into the kitchen, though he was not quite giving up on the high school topic yet. He wasn't surprised they never came across one another due to their different grades. In addition to that, Masamune also never left their school's library. He wanted to know what sort of trouble (very figuratively speaking, Ritsu was the complete opposite of trouble) the brunette had gotten up to in the past.

After all, there was no way they _both_ spent all their time in the library and _still_ never came across one another.

Right?

(Very quiet chapter, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things!)


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N: I just wanted to have a little fun with this one lmao it doesn't really relate at all to the whole 'dream aspect' but I still like it a lot)

Kisa Shouta liked to believe that his gaydar was highly developed and very accurate due to his vast _...experience._

Therefore, he had his...suspicions about his coworkers.

Kisa was fairly certain about Hatori and felt he needed no further confirmation about him, Mino was a mystery and would probably forever remain one so Kisa had to come to peace with that fact, and then there was the newbie and his boss.

Ritsu and Takano-san were both without a doubt not straight, Kisa was never wrong about these things, but that wasn't his main interest. Although at times he may act like it, Kisa was no fool, and he knew an office affair when he saw one. But he wanted evidence! Proof! And above all: _drama._ It wasn't that he had malicious intentions, he just enjoyed teasing Ritsu a little and if there was one thing he could use to get under Takano-san's skin then he wanted to know about it! But, he wanted to be certain, so...

Maybe he would just rock the boat _a little._

* * *

Onodera Ritsu was at a bit of an impasse.

While he thought this gesture was romantic, it was also extremely embarrassing and _not_ an appropriate thing to do at work! (Not that his boss/boyfriend ever cared about what was 'appropriate' and what was not) He was very tempted to scold Masamune now, but this setting was not exactly ideal. Plus, he was sure that bringing it up at _all_ would give Masamune some sort of satisfaction that he wasn't willing to dish out.

The cause of this internal conflict was a note he had found on his desk. While his boyfriend hadn't signed it, there was no _way_ anyone else would write something so rose-colored, romantic, and _mortifying_ all at the same time. Although, that couldn't stop him from reading it again. The temptation was just too great and it was a lot more pleasant than calling his author who was behind on her work.

"Whatcha got there Rittie?" Kisa asked with an innocent bat of his eyelashes to which Ritsu immediately folded the note back up.

"Nothing!" He shoved it under some other papers at random, probably losing it forever among the mess in his haste.

Kisa smiled wide. "Doesn't seem like nothing. Don't tell me you have a secret admirer and you're not sharing all the details!" He said, purposefully speaking a little louder. He took note of Ritsu's blush as well as Takano-san's not so secretive glance over towards the two of them. How very interesting...

"O-Of course not, don't be ridiculous." Ritsu laughed nervously, unable to avoid momentarily meeting the chief-editor's gaze before going back to his work, typing furiously and trying to ignore how much his cheeks were burning.

"Alright, Ritte, whatever you say." Kisa said, his tone a bit teasing, though to his disappointment it gained no further reaction from Ritsu. He casually turned back to his own work, trying to slyly peek at Takano-san as he did so. The chief definitely looked more unhappy than usual, which was saying a lot. He could always _assume_ it was jealousy, but he needed further confirmation. Also, it was fun to try to break through Takano-san's typical higher-than-thou-I-don't-care-about-anything-but-my-work attitude.

Maybe Ritsu would like some flowers...

* * *

"So, what exactly were you and Kisa blabbing about when you should have been working?" Masamune asked, he and Ritsu currently on the last train home, it being abandoned save for the two of them.

Ritsu stared at him with a mixture of confusion and offense (because he _always_ did his work!) before realization dawned upon him. Then, his face screwed up into an unhappy expression, his tone accusatory. "It was _your_ fault that Kisa started teasing me in the first place."

Masamune raised an eyebrow. "Please, enlighten me. How was it my fault?"

"You're the one that wrote that sappy note he was interrogating me about."

"What note?"

"...the note. The one you put on my desk."

"I didn't put a note on your desk."

Ritsu blinked a few times, staring blankly at his boyfriend before what he could only describe as _horror_ started to bubble inside him. "Oh my god." He put his head in his hands, only now realizing that he was making his way through a minefield. Ritsu wasn't good with _emotions_ and the idea that someone else other than Masamune at his work had feelings for him was only slightly less than terrifying. First of all, Ritsu hated confrontation and the idea of rejecting someone. Second of all, his boyfriend had a streak of jealousy and possessiveness that was from Hell and Ritsu did _not_ want some poor soul to face that just because of an innocent crush.

"What did the note say?"

"Nothing! It didn't say anything."

"That is the most obvious lie you have ever told me."

"What it said wasn't important!"

"Was it _actually_ from a secret admirer?" Ritsu had noticed that his boyfriend had become significantly tenser with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"The note _seriously_ wasn't from you?" He is now holding on to just a sliver of hope, the hope that Masamune is in fact just messing with him.

"Ritsu." There's no teasing or humorous nature to be found in Masamune's expression.

The brunette holds his breath for a few moments, he and Masamune staring one another down until one breaks.

Ritsu, of course, cracks first.

"Okay, so it _was_ a love note-"

"Who was it from?" Masamune's fingers are digging into his arms that remain crossed in front of his chest.

"No one signed it, I just assumed it was from you." Ritsu said, fidgeting slightly as he did, staring straight ahead rather than looking at his boyfriend.

"Well, if some random asshole thinks they're just gonna swoop in from the shadows and-"

"It's not like they _know_ I'm not single-"

"I still don't like it."

"It-It's not _that_ big a deal. They'll give up. Eventually. I hope."

Masamune rolled his eyes, snorting at that statement. "Yeah, I don't know if you noticed, but you're not exactly easy to give up on."

Ritsu's face flushed a bit at that. "Not everyone's like you."

"Dedicated? Passionate? Romantic?"

"Crazy."

Masamune smirked just the tiniest bit. "Crazy about you."

"I hate you."

" _Regardless,_ I'm still gonna find out who this is and we're gonna have...words."

"Nonononononono, you absolutely _cannot_ do that."

"Why the hell not?"

" _Because_ then they'll know we're dating! And dating my boss is already bad enough, but we're also both men!"

Masamune sighed. "Fine. But if it persists then I'm going to because it's technically a distraction from work. Is that fine?"

"...alright. Fine. I can agree to that."

"So, what did the note say?"

Ritsu jolted slightly, not having expected that question. An uneasy laugh left him. "W-What?"

"What did the note say?" Masamune appeared very calm and serious, but Ritsu could see an all too familiar storm brewing behind his brown eyes.

"N-Not important." He tried to shrug nonchalantly, but being 'nonchalant' was never his forte.

"It made you blush." Masamune reminded him unhappily.

"...ly cause I...it was...m you." Ritsu mumbled as he looked down at his lap.

"What?"

Ritsu took a deep breath, gathering the little courage he had. "Only because I thought it was from you." He repeated, louder this time, managing to look Masamune in the eye.

Ritsu noted with some pleasure that the jealousy previously stirring in Masamune seemed to disappear, at least for the moment. He then noted with _much_ relief that they were alone, because _nothing_ was going to stop Masamune from kissing him at this point.

* * *

Takano Masamune just now decided that he hated flowers.

In the past he had had no particular negative encounter with them, but this was just too much to handle.

When he and Ritsu walked into work together (as they often did) there was no blocking his view from the obnoxious vase of flowers on Ritsu's desk that _he did not put there._

And, even when Ritsu tried to come up with some other reasoning like they could possibly be from his parents (which made little sense) or An (which made things worse) those theories were destroyed when he read the note.

"A-Ah...whoever sent these didn't sign." He said, unsure of how to handle this.

Masamune couldn't bring himself to read the note, and even if he wanted to he couldn't. Couldn't throw the whole damn vase out the window either. Because Kisa had beat them both there and he knew Ritsu wouldn't have liked him causing any kind of scene.

"Good morning Takano-san, good morning Rittie!" Kisa greeted cheerfully.

Masamune didn't reply, walking past Kisa and going to his desk.

Ritsu gave a strained smile as he sat down. "G-Good morning Kisa-san. You wouldn't have happened to see who left these, would you?"

"Oh, no, someone from the actual shop delivered them, they just said it was for you. Figured it was from some cute girlfriend of yours." Kisa smiled.

"Oh-I-Uh-I-I don't have a girlfriend." Ritsu murmured as he tried to set the flowers somewhat out of his way.

"So you _do_ have a secret admirer!"

"W-What? No, I just..." He trailed off.

"How romantic! Don't you think that's romantic, Takano-san?" Kisa asked with a big grin, swiveling his chair to face his boss.

 _Danger!_

"Secretly admiring someone is stupid and unproductive. You're wasting your time and money if you're expressing your feelings secretly. How are you ever supposed to be with the person if you don't confess in a straightforward manner?" Masamune replied, not looking up from the laptop he was already typing away at, his shoulders tensed and jaw tight.

Kisa pouted at that boring answer before looking at Ritsu. "Don't you think it's romantic, Rittie?" He asked. Kisa noticed with delight that Takano-san's furious typing had come to a pause.

"Erm, I think it's a _nice_ gesture. But-um-I mostly just feel bad that this person is wasting their time on me."

"Why do you say that? I thought you didn't have a girlfriend? Or...is there someone you have feelings for?" Kisa asked, leaning forward just a bit.

"I-I-um-well-I don't have a girlfriend-b-but-"

"You two can gossip about your love lives later, we're on the clock right now. This isn't an elementary school, I shouldn't feel like I have to separate the two of you." Masamune interrupted and Ritsu was thankful because he had felt himself start to flounder under Kisa's curious eye.

Kisa pouted once more before going back to occupying himself with his work. Something was bound to give eventually! He was willing to buy a box of chocolates or two to get the drama he wanted.

* * *

"Do you think Kisa's your admirer?" Masamune asked after another day at work, the two sitting beside one another on the train again.

"What? No way." Ritsu scoffed at the idea, rolling his eyes to boot. Masamune thought his attempt at sassiness was adorable, but it wouldn't distract him. For now.

"He just seemed awfully interested in the whole thing."

"Well, yeah, but that's just because he's nosy and likes to gossip."

"I don't know. I don't like it."

"I _know_ you don't. You've made that perfectly clear. I don't exactly like it either." Ritsu sighed, slouching a bit.

"I'm going into work earlier than usual tomorrow." Masamune declared. "You don't have to come with. I know you hate waking up in the morning."

"No, if I don't come then I don't know what you'll do."

"...Fair enough. Just don't fight me too much when I try to wake you up or I'll leave without you."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Kisa hoped that 'third time's the charm' was applicable here because even though he really wanted some action in the office, he didn't really want to go broke by pretending to be Ritsu's admirer.

He was certain that none of the Emerald team would be here yet, so as he rounded the corner to get into the office he pulled out the box of chocolates he had bought only to come face to face with a very tired looking Ritsu and an extremely irritated looking Takano-san.

Kisa froze with the box in hand, unsure of what to do.

"Just because you don't move doesn't mean we can't see you." Takano-san glared wrathfully at Kisa. It out-shined any scary expression the chief ever made during hell week.

"Yes it does." Kisa said quickly.

"What the hell is that?" Takano-san asked, pointing to the chocolates, ignoring Kisa's stupidity.

"A...snack...for...later..." He poorly lied, not good at thinking on his feet.

"Are you Ritsu's admirer?" The chief pressed.

"'Ritsu', huh? Didn't know you two were on a first name basis." Kisa tried to turn the tables, noticing that it made Onodera blush and Takano-san become more disgruntled.

"Just answer the question." Takano-san said.

Kisa huffed. "Fine. Yes. In a way."

"In a way?" Ritsu spoke up for the first time, his sleepy eyes holding a hint of confusion.

"I don't _really_ have feelings for Rittie...I just...have had my suspicions that you two are dating and I wanted to...spice things up a little around the office. I wanted to see how you two would react to a 'secret admirer' and if it would confirm my suspicions." Kisa tried to make it sound as harmless as possible, but it was difficult.

Ritsu tried to hide how troubled he was. Were he and Masamune _that_ obvious with their relationship?! Luckily, Masamune had no problem lying to Kisa's face.

"Onodera and I are not in a relationship." Oh how he _hated_ saying that, but he hated making Ritsu unhappy more. "You've just caused trouble for Onodera and it's been a terrible distraction. Cut it out."

Kisa puffed out his cheeks childishly, going to his desk and flopping unceremoniously into his chair. "Fine." He said. "Sorry, Rittie." He added, genuinely meaning it. This wasn't how he intended things to go. It was meant to be something they could all laugh about later! But he supposed that this really hadn't been the best idea...

Ritsu smiled a bit, relieved that Kisa seemed to buy into that he and Masamune were not romantically involved with one another. "I'm just glad it got figured out."

"Want these anyway?" Kisa asked, holding up the heart-shaped box. "Consider it an apology gift." He added.

Ritsu laughed a little. "Sure. Thank you." He said.

Chocolate for breakfast was better than no breakfast at all, after all.

* * *

"Did you believe Kisa's story?" Masamune asked, it now being only him and Ritsu at the office.

"Yeah. It seems like something he would do. Why? Do you not?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll just have to keep a closer eye on Kisa from now on." Masamune said.

"You _can't_ be serious."

"I can't take any chances. I'm not losing you again, especially not to _Kisa."_

"You don't have to worry about something like that." Ritsu huffed a bit.

"Oh? Why not?" Masamune smirked and Ritsu knew _exactly_ what he was fishing for. But...if it helped relax Masamune's mind a little then Ritsu would give it to him.

"Because I'm not in love with Kisa, am I?" Ritsu asked a little indignantly.

"Always with the roundabout confessions." Masamune grinned and Ritsu went to reply until Kisa came strolling in.

"Hey, I just forgot my phone, so I'll see you guys tomorrow." Kisa said, the three of them exchanging goodbyes again before Kisa left.

"Do you think he heard us talking?" Ritsu asked quickly and Masamune just shrugged, much to Ritsu's displeasure.

As Ritsu started to freak out and Masamune tried to calm him down, Kisa walked out of the building with a very satisfied smile on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

(A/N: So, this has officially become my longest fic word count wise which is a surprise bc that was never my intention lmao, but thanks for continuing to read despite me not updating for months at a time :p we're doing a little mix of past and present today baby and it's like a month late BUT ITS FINE also this chapter makes me feel emotions lol)

Both Saga Masamune's birthday and Christmas had turned into just a couple of normal days over the years. He liked to act like it didn't bother him, but it was hard not to be a little irked by it. However, if he let himself delve into self pity then it would only make him more upset and honestly it was immature to get worked up over something like that in his opinion. It was a little easier to deal with it in the past because there wasn't anyone in particular he wanted to spend his birthday or Christmas with, but of _course_ as of recent things had gotten more...complicated.

The only person Masamune could think to spend his birthday and Christmas with was Ritsu and it was the _only_ person he quite literally could not do that with.

Sometimes he _hated_ Ritsu for that, sometimes wished that his imagination hadn't come up with the kid in the first place. He might have been alone then in _every_ aspect of the word, but at least he wouldn't be delusionally holding out for someone who wasn't real. But, he couldn't hold any grudges against Ritsu for long, especially not when Ritsu smiled or blushed or talked or laughed or pouted or did _anything_ really.

Saga sighed as his head hit his pillow after an uneventful day, the sky dark and house silent. He was thankful to at least have some peace on his birthday rather than hearing his parents fight. He wasn't one to usually look for silver linings, but he supposed that could be considered one. Sorata curled up on his stomach, so small that Saga barely noticed until he heard her start to purr. He stroked her back a few times, shutting his eyes and slowly falling asleep.

* * *

When Saga became aware of the hazy dream-world around him, he was surprised. The familiar dining room he stood in was dimly lit, the only source of light being from candles on a cake. He couldn't help but to feel a little embarrassed, rolling his eyes at himself. His subconscious never let him escape from what was really on his mind, even if it was something as childish as this. He took a seat, staring at the cake boredly.

The door slowly cracked open, letting some of the moonlight pour on to the floor. "Senpai?" Ritsu called out hesitantly, unsure of whether or not Saga would be in this random house he had never seen in his dreams before.

Saga quickly looked over toward Ritsu, the younger boy smiling in relief. "I wasn't sure if you'd be in here." Ritsu said as he shut the door. "Why is it so dark?" He added before noticing the cake.

"It's uh...my birthday today. Guess it was on my mind. This is my house. Kind of." Saga said with a casual shrug as he looked around. There were stairs that seemed to lead to somewhere, but no living room or kitchen. Ah well, blame it on the weirdness of dreams.

"Oh! Happy birthday, Senpai!" Ritsu said with a wide smile.

Saga's heart stuttered and a smile tugged at his lips. He very much appreciated the dim lighting that hid the unusual redness of his cheeks. He never knew someone wishing him happy birthday could make him so damn _giddy._

"Thanks." He said, his even and cool tone not giving his racing heart away.

"Are you gonna make a wish?" Ritsu asked as he approached the table, sitting across from Saga.

Saga shrugged. "Wouldn't know what to wish for. Not like it would come true." He also wouldn't usually entertain the idea of doing so. He was 17, not 7. But Ritsu's question was so _genuine,_ he couldn't put the idea down for fear of making Ritsu anxious or needlessly apologetic.

"Not with that kind of attitude." Ritsu pouted, causing a chuckle to escape Saga. "There has to be _something."_ He added.

"Oh yeah, for sure. But it's completely impossible." Saga said. "But I guess it never hurts to try." He added before leaning closer to the cake, blowing the candles out. A few soft glowing lights popped on without anything prompting them to do so, but Saga chalked it up to 'dream world' like always.

"What did you wish for?" Ritsu asked, unable to help his curiosity.

"Well, if I tell you then it _definitely_ won't come true." Saga pointed out.

"Right." Ritsu sighed and pouted once more, making Saga remember that he hadn't kissed Ritsu yet _like a damn fool. "_ I wish I could give you a gift or something." Ritsu added.

"I have a couple ideas." Saga said and Ritsu sat up a little straighter, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Really? Like what?" He asked, eager to celebrate his Senpai's birthday with him.

The older boy didn't answer, instead he scooted back from the table and stood, walking over to where Ritsu sat.

Saga _really_ hoped that those stairs did in fact lead up to a bedroom.

* * *

Takano Masamune was always an early riser, even if it meant he only got three hours of sleep. It was a curse, really. He _wished_ he could sleep in till noon like his boyfriend did. So, when he woke up on December 24th he was _really_ surprised to see that Ritsu was not sleeping next to him. They didn't have work, so he couldn't think of any other reason the brunette would willingly wake up early.

 _He better not have gone back to his apartment or something,_ Masamune thought. Not that Ritsu typically did, but there were times when he had snuck out for unclear reasons. Masamune figured he was just shy, but he wished Ritsu would just officially move in with him. Or, if this space wasn't big enough then they could go look somewhere else. It wasn't like Ritsu was unaware of this either (because Masamune had brought it up multiple times in the past) but of course Ritsu got weird about those kinds of things. Masamune could wait, would wait as long as he had to, but that didn't mean he was patient _or_ happy about it.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes free of sleep and stretching a bit. He then set out on a mission to find Ritsu because damn it, it was his birthday and he was going to spend today with that man! But before he could get up, footsteps started to approach the bedroom. The door, wide open, soon held Ritsu in it's frame who was holding a plate and a mug. He flushed a bit when seeing Masamune, not having expected him to be awake quite yet.

"G-Good morning, Masamune." Ritsu murmured as he came back to the bed, carefully, handing him the omelet and coffee. "Erm, sorry I don't really know how to make anything fancy, but um-I thought that since it's your birthday and all that this would be nice?" He fiddled with his fingers a little nervously, not used to making these sorts of gestures and the way Masamune was staring at him was not helping.

"What?" Ritsu said after a moment, followed by a nervous laugh.

"You're just...too cute for your own good." Masamune couldn't hide his smile even if he wanted to.

Ritsu blushed and scowled, but it was too early to argue. Plus...it was Masamune's birthday. So maybe he would try to be a little less indignant. Maybe.

"Thank you, Ritsu." Masamune added, kissing his cheek.

"Y-You're welcome." His scowl melted away, as though it hadn't been there in the first place.

Masamune sipped on his coffee for a few moments before setting it on the nightstand so that he could start to eat. "I'm not gonna find any burns on you later, am I?" He asked and Ritsu couldn't keep himself from bristling again.

"I'm not _that_ helpless in the kitchen."

"Maybe not, but you are that clumsy in general."

Ritsu just huffed, unable to find a way to argue against that because (although he wouldn't admit it) he was the definition of a klutz. "You're not gonna find any burns on me. Promise. I was really careful. Didn't want to make you drive me to the emergency room on your birthday."

"How about don't make me drive you to the emergency room _any_ day?"

"No promises."

Masamune rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Sooo, 29. Almost 30. You're getting old." Ritsu joked, hoping to steer off the topic of his clumsy character.

"You're not that far from 30 yourself." Masamune reminded him.

"But you'll always be a few steps ahead of me."

"Yeah. I guess that's why I'm better than you at everything."

"That's _not_ what I meant."

"But it's pretty much what you said."

"You're not going to get your birthday present."

"That's very tyrannical of you."

"You've rubbed off on me."

"If you spun it the right way, it could be pretty sexy." Masamune said and as expected it startled Ritsu into giving his default comeback.

"Sh-shut up, pervert." Ritsu huffed.

 _Victory!_

"Stay here, I'm gonna go get your present." Ritsu added, hoping that would be enough of a diversion.

"Is that your first order as a tyrant? Will I get punished otherwise?" Masamune smirked suggestively, making Ritsu smack his arm without any real strength behind it before he quickly left the bedroom so he wouldn't have to be subjected to anymore embarrassment, making Masamune laugh.

Masamune ate rather quickly so he could set the plate aside, Ritsu soon coming back with two presents, looking adorably nervous in Masamune's esteemed opinion.

"H-Here, open this one first." Ritsu said after sitting back down beside him, handing him a suspiciously book-shaped gift.

Masamune tore off the gift wrapping before surprise overtook his features. "This book isn't even out yet, how did you get it?" Masamune asked, looking over the front and back cover of the next installment in Usami Akihiko's latest series.

"I used to edit for him, so I asked for a favor. It's hitting the shelves soon, but, you're the first to officially own a copy." Ritsu smiled, very happy to see that his first present went over well, but his nerves hadn't left him yet.

"Ritsu-"

"D-Don't start thanking me yet, there's one more thing." The brunette handed over the smaller gift, his face a bright pink.

Masamune smiled, but for once listened, setting the book down with care before he started to open the second present. Under the wrapping was a box so he popped the lid off and found a folded piece of paper. He took it, opening it and starting to read, an involuntary gasp leaving him. "Ritsu? I-"

"I-It's an advertisement f-for an open house-well-an apartment really-but it's bigger than either of our places and I know we've been kind of talking about it and with our leases almost being up I thought maybe we could go check this place out or any other place you had in mind or-" Ritsu rambled nervously, but Masamune could hardly keep up because _Ritsu was asking to move in together._

As if he even needed to ask in the first place!

"Yes. Yes, I would love to go look at this place with you. Even if we don't like it, we can figure something else out. Thank you Ritsu, I...I really can't tell you how much this means to me." Masamune said, smiling so wide his face hurt.

Ritsu felt like he could finally breath again, returning Masamune's smile with a bright one of his own.

"H-Happy birthday, Masamune."

* * *

Saga woke up on Christmas day, thoughts of Ritsu still circling around his drowsy head. He smiled tiredly at the image of the blushing brunette that his mind replayed over and over.

'What did you wish for?', Ritsu had asked.

Saga thought it would have been _painfully_ obvious to him, even if Ritsu at times could be a little bit of an air head.

 _I wish Ritsu and I could actually spend my birthday together._


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N: Oh shit a THIRD update what is happening am I possessed? Also, Wow, made it all the way to ten chapters in a fic that wasn't even supposed to have multiple chapters lol. Idk if any of you are still holding out for Stalker-Senpai or The Android to be updated, but I've been thinking about completely starting them over? Stalker Senpai's chapters are weirdly short imo and im just stuck on The Android so why not scrap it and start over. Idk yet lol anyways enjoy! This chapter is a little 'quieter' I guess)

Onodera Ritsu felt like such an idiot.

So _that_ was nothing new, in fact he felt like that quite often, but this time around he wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

It seemed so stupid at this point to not have said _I love you_ directly to Masamune and yet here he was, in the midst of packing his things to get ready to move into a new apartment with his boyfriend who he hadn't even properly expressed his feelings to. It felt a bit out of order.

He had thought about saying it on Masamune's birthday, after or before proposing that they move in together, but he was already nervous enough and he didn't need _another_ thing adding to his anxiety.

So, he had decided to put it off.

And off.

Andoffandoffandoffandoffandoff.

And _now_ he was putting away his last book, closing the box up with a sigh.

He felt like at this point he was agonizing over nothing, but it never seemed like the right moment to say it. He wasn't even sure _how_ he wanted to say it. Should it be casual and in between their typical bickering? Should it be over a romantic home-cooked dinner? On a date? During some dramatically appropriate moment like in the shoujo mangas they edit? No matter what, it all seemed wrong or just plain cheesy.

Ritsu's phone buzzed and lit up in his pocket.

 _Are you done packing yet?_

Speak of the devil and he shall appear!

Ritsu had insisted on packing alone because although it made sense in theory to help one another out, Ritsu knew Masamune well and Masamune got easily-uh- _distracted_. He had gone as far as locking Masamune out, _much_ to the older's displeasure, but Ritsu didn't trust him to stay on task. In the office Masamune may be an extremely efficient and focused editor, but in any other setting that focus tended to turn on to Ritsu. And Ritsu didn't need that while packing.

But, that hadn't stopped Masamune from periodically texting him. It was so _boring_ to be alone when Ritsu was literally right next door.

 _For today, yeah._ Ritsu replied. He wasn't completely packed up, but he was tired and he had made a good amount of progress so that was enough for him.

 _Am I unbanished then?_

Ritsu rolled his eyes at the dramatic choice of words, smiling as he typed his response: _No._

 _Too bad._ Ritsu could almost hear Masamune scoffing through the phone.

Only moments later came a knock at the door and Ritsu opened it up.

"Now, you can't judge the mess because I _am_ in the middle of packing." Ritsu warned.

"I'm sure I've seen your apartment in a worse state. Also, you'd be done by now if you'd let me help." Masamune said as Ritsu let him in. He removed his shoes, Ritsu shutting the door.

"I'd have _less_ done by now if I let you 'help'."

Masmaune clicked his tongue. "You've gotten so mean over the years, you know that?" He said, making himself comfortable on Ritsu's couch.

Ritsu just smiled as he sat beside him. "Things wouldn't be as fun if I was nice all the time."

"I disagree."

Ritsu rolled his eyes because of course Masamune did. "Have you finished packing?" He asked.

"Yeah, though I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting."

"The great Takano Masamune? Forgetting something?"

"I know, shocking isn't it?" Masamune laughed. "Smartass."

Ritsu stuck his tongue out in response, making Masamune's heart do a flip because _damn it_ he was so cute.

"I missed you." Masamune said.

"W-We saw each other last night, idiot."

"So? I still don't really like being away from you, _especially_ when you're right next door. Somehow that makes it even worse." Masamune said. "Did you not miss me?" He asked, making Ritsu squirm and blush a bit.

"Why do you love embarrassing me?" Ritsu huffed.

"I'm not trying to." Masamune replied, running his fingers through Ritsu's hair affectionately. "But usually I do love to do that." He added with a grin.

Ritsu pouted and crossed his arms, looking away from Masamune stubbornly. He tried very hard to ignore the way Masamune wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer.

"Are you excited?" Masamune asked.

"About what?"

"Moving in together, duh." Masamune kissed the back of Ritsu's head since the brunette still refused to look at him. Always so bullheaded. But Masamune knew how to maneuver around that by now.

"O-Of course I am." Ritsu said shyly before facing Masamune with a weak glare. "D-Don't make me say those kinds of things out loud when you already know that."

Masamune chuckled. "I just like to hear you say it." He smiled softly, his expression full of a genuine affection that Ritsu would probably never get used to.

Ritsu almost winced. He still hadn't said _I love you_ and even though he was sure Masamune _knew_ what Ritsu's true feelings were...

 _I just like to hear you say it_

Ritsu took a deep breath and looked at his boyfriend straight on, which was mistake number one as his courage was meek in comparison to the emotions he could see past Masamune's eyes.

"Masamune, I..." He started, but panic overtook him quickly and caused him to falter. "I-I'm kind of hungry. D-Did you eat already or do you maybe wanna order something in or...?" Ritsu said a little off beat, making Masamune raise an eyebrow in suspicion, but he brushed it off. For now. But, he definitely did not forget.

"Sure, I could go for something to eat. Why don't we go out somewhere? Have a date night." Masamune suggested and Ritsu nodded shyly, trying not to let his disappointment in himself shine through.

He'd manage to say it, one day. He had to!

Masamune deserved better than hesitant and round-about confessions.

* * *

 _Another_ box full of books left Masamune's arms and landed on the ground with a soft thud. Although his arms hurt, at the very least it was the last of them.

"I didn't realize just how many damn books we have between the two of us." Masamune said.

"We probably should've checked if we had any doubles. We don't need a bunch of duplicates." Ritsu replied.

"We would've been able to do that if we had packed together."

"Well, now we can start unpacking together. Does that make up for it?" Ritsu asked, currently trying to think of how and where to begin, facing away from Masamune to look at his many box options.

"No. And there's no way in hell I'm touching another box today, so the unpacking will just have to wait till tomorrow." Masamune came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his forehead on Ritsu's shoulder.

"Maybe we should take a break." Ritsu said, Masamune's warmth making the idea all the more tempting.

"Mhm." Masamune hummed in agreement, kissing Ritsu's cheek and temple.

"But tomorrow we _have_ to start. Otherwise we never will."

"We'll see."

" _No,_ not 'we'll see', we have to."

"We'll see."

 _"Please_ don't make me regret this."

"You're used to living in a mess anyway, so what's the difference?"

"Jerk." Ritsu gently hit the arms that were still around him, but Masamune didn't budge, not that Ritsu _really_ wanted him to. "If I'm so _messy_ then why move in with me?"

"Because I love you, idiot."

Ritsu's body lit up to the tips of his ears, his whole face glowing red. He should expect answers like that at this point, but it never failed to make him lose his breath.

 _But,_ this was also another chance! After multiple failed attempts at confessing his feelings, Ritsu felt so exasperated and frustrated with himself. He'd build himself up, get to the point where he was ready to say it and at the last second get scared and back out. Not to mention that now seemed to be a time as good as any: in an innocent embrace, in their new home, in between their typical banter.

Maybe it wasn't over-the-top-romantic or meticulously planned, but maybe that was also a good thing? Or maybe it didn't matter? These kinds of things really shouldn't be this complicated, but Ritsu had a habit of overthinking things and _making_ them complicated.

Ritsu set his hands on top of Masamune's, hoping that his boyfriend couldn't hear the way his heart was pounding against his rib cage.

"I-I love you too." Ritsu managed to say past his shaking nerves before holding his breath and waiting.

Masamune was very still for what felt like _forever_ before he nuzzled into the crook of Ritsu's neck, smiling wide.

"Thank _God,_ I thought I was gonna have to wait till my next birthday to hear that." Masamune said and Ritsu scowled.

"Sh-shut up, how do you always ruin the moment?" Ritsu complained, though it fell on deaf ears.

"I love you so much, thank you Ritsu, for giving this a chance." Masamune said and Ritsu was _very_ glad he was facing away from him because he wouldn't be able to handle the smile he could hear in his voice.

"Th-There's no reason to thank me." Ritsu said as he looked down at their hands, Masamune's grip having tightened slightly around him, giving Ritsu a comforting squeeze.

"There are _many_ reasons to thank you that you have no idea about." Masamune argued. "But I won't go through them all because I don't want you to explode." He added with a soft laugh. Ritsu gently elbowed him, though even calling it that was an exaggeration as it meant and caused no harm. "You know you're extra stuck with me now, right?" Masamune asked, his tone light and playful. Ritsu couldn't help but to smile.

"It's not like we're married." Not that they could get married either, at least not in Japan, and _no_ Ritsu definitely did not think about that often!

"With how nervous that kind of thing makes you and how big of a deal you tend to make out of things, we pretty much are." Masamune smirked and Ritsu couldn't really argue. "Is this why you've been acting kind of weird?" Masamune asked.

"I've been acting weird?" Ritsu echoed.

"You're always weird in one way or another, but yeah." Masamune said.

"I'm _not weird."_

"Don't take it as an insult, it's one of the reasons I love you."

"H-How do you say that so easily?"

Masamune shrugged. "Cause I'm not weird."

"I think that it's weirder to be so calm all the time." Ritsu huffed.

"If you think that I'm always calm around you then I'm a good actor."

"What?" Ritsu frowned a bit in confusion, holding back a whine when Masamune turned him around because he had been very comfortable in that position! Plus, now he had to actually look at Masamune, which made this all the more embarrassing.

It also _didn't_ help his embarrassment when Masamune took his hand and pressed it against his chest where his heart was racing.

" _This_ is how I feel when I'm around you." Masamune said and Ritsu was both mortified and flattered because _his boyfriend was so embarrassing!_

"I-I will _never_ understand how you say these kinds of things with such a straight face!" Ritsu stared at the middle of Masamune's chest so he didn't have to meet his eyes. "But..." He added, hesitantly looking up with rouge colored cheeks. "M-Me too."

Masamune smiled once more before he kissed Ritsu softly, Ritsu shyly but happily returning the gesture.

"I love you."

"...I love you too."


End file.
